Iranian strikes on Kuwait's power and desalination plants raise water security concerns
Repeated Iranian attacks on Kuwait's power plants and desalination facilities have sparked fires and injured emergency workers, according to Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy. The strikes, which have continued for a fourth consecutive day, have raised concerns about the country's water security, as Kuwait relies heavily on desalination for its drinking water.
The ministry said in a statement that "several power plants and desalination facilities were struck last night for the fourth consecutive day, sparking fires at a number of sites." Emergency crews, working with firefighters and security forces, quickly brought the fires under control, the statement said, and specialists are now assessing the damage and carrying out repairs.
Since July 17, the ministry has reported daily damage to power plants and desalination facilities caused by Iranian attacks, with fires breaking out at several sites and injuring a number of emergency workers.
Kuwait has virtually no freshwater resources, and 90 percent of its drinking water is generated by seawater desalination plants. Moreover, Kuwait relies on cogeneration to produce both electricity and desalinated water at the same plant. With a single strike, Iran can cut off both water and power, according to France 24's reporting.
Tehran justifies these attacks by citing the US military presence in the country. With some 13,000 American troops on its soil, Kuwait hosts one of the largest US contingents in the region. But Kuwait "also suffers the consequences of its geography," said Raphaël Le Magoariec, an expert who specialises in geopolitics of the Gulf region, as quoted by France 24. Located just a few hundred kilometres from Iranian territory, Kuwait is an "easy target" for Iran, which can cheaply and easily strike the country without having to resort to sophisticated technology.
Iran has accused Washington of using similar tactics when the US struck a desalination plant on Qeshm Island on March 7, according to France 24. Tehran said additional US strikes on July 18 destroyed the Bonji desalination plant near Djask and damaged another.
Water anxieties in the region are not new, as Bahrain and Kuwait already saw Iranian strikes against their desalination plants back in March, France 24 noted. The attacks come amid broader concerns about water scarcity in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, where the volume of naturally occurring freshwater available per capita is expected to fall to 59 cubic metres by 2050, a contraction of almost 38 percent from current levels, according to France 24's reporting.